The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

Today's morning court session was dramatic enough that the ministers had no time for their usual chatter.

They each left alone, their expressions hurried.

With his beady eyes, he couldn't talk to Zhang Ping'an anymore and hurriedly followed the others.

This is why he disliked being in the imperial court; the atmosphere there was so suffocating that it was unbearable!

Before the matter could escalate, around lunchtime, Zhang Ping'an heard that the Third Prince, Zhou Zhuo, had committed suicide by taking medicine at the Imperial Clan Court.

His mother was a singer, and his family had long since passed away. He only had some distant relatives left, and he was sold into the profession by these relatives.

Therefore, it's not a question of exterminating nine generations of relatives.

It's just pitiful that the elderly have to bury their children.

The funeral was held in a very simple and low-key manner, and it is said that few people dared to attend.

Zhang Ping'an dutifully shuttled between the palace and his residence, temporarily adhering to the strategy of self-preservation, just like other ministers.

A few days later, it happened to be Grand Tutor Qian's birthday, and the Qian family sent out invitations.

Zhang Ping'an then took Xiaoyuer to the Qian residence for a meal.

There's nothing wrong with a father-in-law and son-in-law getting together on a proper occasion.

After the meal, Grand Tutor Qian didn't call anyone else, but only summoned Zhang Ping'an to his study for a chat.

He also carefully arranged for his second son, Qian Jie, to keep watch from the shadows.

"Please sit down. The political situation is unclear right now, so don't blame me for being overly cautious," Grand Tutor Qian invited.

After Zhang Ping'an was seated, they got down to business. "Qian Ying said that His Majesty seems to be somewhat suspicious of you lately. Is that true?"

"I wouldn't dare lie to my father-in-law, it's true!" Zhang Ping'an nodded.

"What makes you say that? You come from humble beginnings, and His Majesty has always valued you highly. Logically, this shouldn't be the case!" Grand Tutor Qian frowned in thought.

"I don't know about that. His Majesty's thoughts have been hard to guess these past two years. Perhaps he wants to promote other newcomers to become the Crown Prince's right-hand men in the future. Who knows?"

Zhang Ping'an couldn't possibly say it was because His Majesty suspected his origins and background, otherwise it would be even harder to explain.

Grand Tutor Qian didn't doubt this excuse and sighed, "That's true. His Majesty has been unpredictable these past two years, and most people can't guess what he's thinking. The incident with the Third Prince Zhou Zhuo shows that he is a ruthless emperor. In the past, he still maintained some decorum, but now that he is seriously ill, he has no scruples. If we don't do something, I'm afraid we'll be in grave danger!"

“But the court is in a state of panic right now, and everyone is keeping their heads down and protecting themselves. It might not be good to cause any big commotion at this juncture,” Zhang Ping’an said hesitantly.

"This is the only way we can do it," said Grand Tutor Qian helplessly.

After speaking, he coughed lightly and subtly asked, "Do you know why Zhou Zhuo brought up that matter?"

"I only have a vague understanding," Zhang Ping'an said honestly. "Could it be the Second Prince?"

Although after the Third Prince Zhou Zhuo got into trouble, Zhou Ziming pinned the blame on his mother, Consort Jing, and had her imprisoned in the Cold Palace.

But any smart person could guess that Zhou Zhuo's words in court that day were actually aimed at the Second Prince, Zhou Shu.

“That’s right, it’s him!” Grand Tutor Qian stroked his beard and nodded. “Actually, I guessed a bit about it on the day Empress Wei passed away, but I didn’t have time to tell them then. I thought I could use this as leverage in the future, but it’s no use now.”

"Then... cough cough... who is that person?" Zhang Ping'an was quite curious about this.

“If I’m not mistaken, it’s probably that one,” Grand Tutor Qian said, pulling a sheet of white Xuan paper from his desk and drawing three overlapping circles on it.

“It’s him?” Zhang Ping’an raised an eyebrow and pondered, “I heard that he grew up with His Majesty, Prince Qin and the late Empress Wei. It seems that it’s not a rumor.”

"I have already had someone investigate this matter thoroughly, and it is by no means a rumor," Grand Tutor Qian said with certainty.

"Then His Majesty's change in attitude over the years can be traced, and the matter can be explained. It's a pity that Empress Wei was so eager to protect her son that she pulled this stunt. Now that Zhou Zhuo has exposed it, it's like putting His Majesty's face on the ground. I'm afraid the matter of the Second Prince's enfeoffment may not go so smoothly!"

Zhang Ping'an quickly pieced together the events and figured it out.

Grand Tutor Qian didn't reply, but suddenly asked, "What do you think of the Second Prince?"

"Second Prince?"

After a moment of thought, Zhang Ping'an gave a fair assessment: "Before he went to the Daxiangguo Temple for spiritual cultivation, I had only met him a few times. At that time, I felt that he was somewhat violent and unpredictable. Although he was handsome, he was not a tolerant or easy-going prince. Now, he seems to have changed a lot. He has toned down his sharpness and is much more composed."

"It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature. If you ask me, among His Majesty's princes, the one who is the most ruthless and most like him is actually the second prince. He is more decisive and ruthless than the crown prince, and more composed than the third prince. He is more suitable to be emperor than the crown prince!"

Grand Tutor Qian said slowly.

Zhang Ping'an raised his head sharply, "What do you mean by that, father-in-law?"

"Tell me, doesn't he want to be emperor? Is he really willing to risk his life to go to Xi'an to assume his fiefdom after observing mourning?"

"My father-in-law is thinking..."

“What I think isn’t the most important thing. What’s most important is what he will do. That monk by his side is no simple man. I’m talking to you today because I hope you can think things through beforehand. Can you protect yourself in this vortex on your own? If not, why not ask someone else to lend a hand?” Grand Tutor Qian’s eyes were full of implications.

"Thank you for your advice, father-in-law. I will consider it carefully," Zhang Ping'an said after a long silence.

After leaving the Qian residence, Xiaoyuer noticed that her father seemed unhappy, and knew that the conversation in the study had not gone smoothly.

"Father, what's wrong? What did Grandfather say?"

"nothing?"

In fact, Zhang Ping'an was thinking that so many things had happened before the Empress's mourning period was over, and he really didn't know what would happen next.

"By the way, how did Zhong Zheng react when you sent him to the Daxiangguo Temple to see their abbot?"

"Him?" Xiaoyuer pursed her lips and replied, "You can't tell anything from his appearance. He usually has a poker face and is quite deep-thinking. I don't think you can get anything out of him from just a few words."

"Okay, then we'll do as you say. After the Empress's seven-day mourning period is over, we'll go to the Xiangguo Temple to pay our respects! Also, don't forget to pick up your cousin Pengpeng at the dock tomorrow."